Karkady: the Hibiscus tea from Land of Pharaoh

As I sat in my office sipping the hot Tazo “Passion” tea, my mind kept wandering to the deep red colors of the Hibiscus tea. We were first introduced to this tea (also called Karkady) in Egypt. Offered everywhere, in restaurants, hotels, café and stores, this was the drink of my choice during our tour there.

The tangy tasting liquid may not suit many taste buds (including my hubby, who did not care much for it), but being one of those few Indians who does not like Chai (YES! I do not care for Indian Chai), the Karkady suited my taste buds just fine! I am a total sucker for drinks like this....

Made from the dried, dark red petals of the Hibiscus flower, the color of this drink is down right fascinating. You swirl it and as the light falls on it, you can actually see different hues of red and there are some reds which I swear I have hardly ever seen. Amidst the smoke swirling off the Shisha ( the Egyptian Hookah), sipping this tea is an experience hard to forget…….ahh those memories …all that remains is but those memories..................

Anyway, on the bright side I did get some dried Hibiscus petals from Egypt (surprisingly cheap), but could not brew a good cup of tea . Today however, I was determined, so here I was back from work, exhausted yet looking through the internet ... googling away to get a recipe which sounded like it would work. Now at last, I can claim that the sucess is mine (oh that sweet lady) and I (being the generous person I am) have decided to share this recipe (which you can find online) and increase the followers of the "Hibiscus tea fan Club"... try it, see if you like it ...may be (just may be) you would.........

Ingredients

· 1 cup (1 1/2 oz.) dried hibiscus blossoms

· 1 cinnamon stick (about 1 in.)

· Ice cubes

· About 1/3 cup sugar

Preparation

1. In a 4- to 5-quart pan on high heat, bring 3 quarts water to boiling. Add hibiscus blossoms and cinnamon stick. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Let cool about 1 hour.

2. Pour tea through a strainer, lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth, into a pitcher. Discard residue in strainer. Pour tea, hot or cold, into ice-filled glasses. Add sugar to taste.